# Holyhead Lifeboat Station

Holyhead Lifeboat Station (Welsh: Gorsaf Bad Achub Caergybi) is a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat station in the coastal town of Holyhead, Anglesey, Wales. It is one of the three oldest lifeboat stations situated on the North Wales coast, a disused building of which houses the Holyhead Maritime Museum.

## History

Holyhead Lifeboat Station was first mentioned in 1825 when it was decided a lifeboat would be built for the coastal town of Holyhead. A local committee was formed three years later and the first lifeboat arrived at the station shortly afterwards. The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) took over control of the station in 1855 and an lifeboat house was built three years later. The station covered the shipping lane in and out of Liverpool.
In 1892, Holyhead Lifeboat Station received its first steam lifeboat, which was one of six to serve in the RNLI. The lifeboat was involved in an operation to rescue crew members of the SS Harold in 1908 which anchored near rocks between North Stack and South Stack. The third steam Lifeboat to serve at Holyhead, James Stevens No.3, was retired in 1928 when it was replaced by a motor-powered Watson-class lifeboat, H.C.J. (ON 708)
Twenty-one years later, a new boathouse and slipway were constructed on Salt Island. The boathouse and slipway were used until 1980, when a new Arun-class boat was allocated to the station and kept afloat in the harbour. Unfortunately, wash from the ferry traffic led to the boat's GRP hull being damaged, and as a temporary measure a steel-hulled Waveney-class boat was placed on station while the boathouse and slipway were reconditioned and a new Tyne-class boat was constructed for the station. The new boat entered service in 1985, and slipway launching continued until 1997 when a new, more protected, berth was found for another Arun-class boat, 52-37 Kenneth Thelwall (ON 1123) to take over.
In 2003, the Arun-class was replaced by the present Severn-class Lifeboat, 17–41 Christopher Pearce (ON 1272)
An inshore lifeboat station was established on the site in 1967. The boathouse was expanded in 1987 to fit a D-class lifeboat (EA16) and its launching trolley. Its current inshore boat, (D-791) Mary & Archie Hooper, entered service in 2016. Lead was stolen from the station's roof in the morning of 16 June 2011. In February 2015 the station appointed its first female helm.

## Station honours

The following are awards made at Holyhead Holyhead have been awarded 49 medals. 4 Gold, 32 Silver and 13 Bronze
* RNLI Gold Medal
       Rev James Williams - 1835
       Captain William Owen - 1835
       William Owen, Coxswain - 1908
       Lieut Commander Harold Harknett Harvey VRD,
       RNR, Inspector of Lifeboats for the North West area - 1967
* RNLI Silver Medal
       Thomas Hughes - 1929
       Robert Stables, Coxswain - 1833
       Captain William Owen - 1833
       Oliver Anthony, Master Mariner - 1833
       Richard Morris, Coxswain - 1835
       Henry Parry, Coxswain - 1840
       William Rowlands, Coxswain - 1866
       William Rowlands, Coxswain - 1867 (Second Service Award)
       Thomas Roberts, Coxswain - 1833 (This service was carried out in the Rhosneigr lifeboat).
       Coxswain Roberts - 1886 (Second Service Award)
       Edward Jones, Coxswain - 1887
       John O Williams, Chief Officer of HM Coastguard, Hon. Secretary - 1888
       Edward Jones, Coxswain - 1889 (Second Service Award)
       Robert Jones, Second Coxswain - 1889
       John O Williams, Chief Officer of HM Coastguard, Hon. Secretary - 1890 (Second Service Award)
       William Owen, Pilot - 1890
       George Jones, Boatman - 1890
       John Roberts, Farmer and Fisherman - 1890
       John Morris, Farmer - 1890
       Thomas W Brooke, crewman - 1908
       George Jones, crewman - 1908
       Lewis Jones, crewman - 1908
       Richard Jones, crewman - 1908
       Samuel Jones, crewman - 1908
       James Lee, crewman - 1908
       William McLaughlin, crewman - 1908
       Charles H Marshall, crewman - 1908
       William Owen Jnr, crewman - 1908
       Lewis Roberts, crewman - 1908
       Thomas Alcock, Coxswain - 1967
       Eric Samuel Jones, Motor Mechanic - 1967
       William Jones, Coxswain - 1977
* RNLI Bronze Medal
       Richard Jones, Coxswain - 1943
       John Jones, Motor Mechanic - 1943
       Richard Jones, Coxswain - 1949 (Second Service Award)
       William John Jones, Second Coxswain - 1967
       Francis Ward, Acting Bowman - 1967
       Jack Sharpe, Acting Assistant Mechanic - 1967
       John Michael Hughes, crew member - 1967
       David Graham Drinkwater, crew member - 1967
       Brian Gordon Stewart, crew member - 1967
       Donald Malcolm Forrest, Mechanic - 1971
       Gareth Ogwen-Jones, crewmember - 1971
       John Michael Hughes, crew member - 1971 (Second Service Award)
       William Jones, Coxswain, - 1977 (Second Service Award)
* The Thanks of the Institution on Vellum
       Awarded to each of the 15 crew - 1883 (This service was carried out in the Rhosneigr lifeboat).
       All the lifeboat crew - 1978
* The Sugar Manufacturer’s Association (of Jamaica) Ltd Case of Rum 1954 for the longest continuous service during the winter months of 1953/54
       Holyhead lifeboat crew - 1954
* Member, Order of the British Empire (MBE)
       Thomas Brian Thomson, Coxswain - 2007

## Holyhead lifeboats
### All-weather lifeboats
#### Holyhead (No.1)

| ON | Op. No. | Name | In service | Class |
| – | – | Unnamed | 1829–1858 | 31-foot 6in Palmer |
| Pre-313 | – | Unnamed | 1858–1864 | 30-foot Self-Righting (P&S) |
| Pre-310 | – | Princess of Wales | 1864–1875 | 30-foot Self-Righting (P&S) |
| 192 | – | Thomas Fielden | 1875–1891 | 37-foot Self-Righting (P&S) |
| 300 | – | Thomas Fielden | 1891–1897 | 39-foot Self-Righting (P&S) |
| 231 | – | Duke of Northumberland | 1897–1922 | Steam |
| 420 | – | James Stevens No.3 | 1922–1928 | Steam |
| 708 | – | H.C.J. | 1928–1929 | 45ft 6in Watson |
| 717 | – | A.E.D. | 1929–1950 | 51-foot Barnett |
| 884 | – | St.Cybi (Civil Service No.9) | 1950–1980 | 52-foot Barnett Mk1 |
| 1086 | 52-15 | Hyman Winstone | 1980–1983 | Arun |
| 1003 | 44-004 | Faithful Forester | 1984–1985 | Waveney |
| 1095 | 47-004 | St.Cybi II (Civil Service No.40) | 1985–1997 | Tyne |
| 1123 | 52-37 | Kenneth Thelwall | 1998–2003 | Arun |
| 1272 | 17-41 | Christopher Pearce | 2003– | Severn |
    Pre ON numbers are unofficial numbers used by the Lifeboat Enthusiast Society to reference early lifeboats not included on the official RNLI list.

#### Holyhead No.2

| ON | Name | In service | Class |
| 264 | Joseph Whitworth | 1890–1915 | 37-foot Self-Righting (P&S) |
| 617 | Fanny Harriet | 1915–1929 | 37-foot Self-Righting (P&S) |
| 485 | Reserve No.D7 | 1929–1930 | 34-foot Self-Righting (Motor) |

#### Holyhead No.3

| ON | Name | In service | Class | Comments |
| 231 | Duke of Northumberland | 1892–1893 | Steam | |

### Inshore lifeboats

| Op. No. | Name | In service | Class |
| D-116 | Unnamed | 1967–1976 | D-class (RFD PB16) |
| D-249 | Caribbean I | 1976–1988 | D-class (Zodiac III) |
| D-358 | Unnamed | 1988–1996 | D-class (EA16) |
| D-507 | Spirit of Bedworth and Nuneaton | 1996–2005 | D-class (EA16) |
| D-654 | Angel of Holyhead (Civil Service No.46) | 2005–2016 | D-class (IB1) |
| D-791 | Mary & Archie Hooper | 2016– | D-class (IB1) |
* 1 2 3 ON is the RNLI's Official Number of the boat.
* 1 2 Op. No. is the RNLI's Operational Number of the boat carried on the hull.